ADSL issues

Hi all,

I have once again got serious ADSL connectivity issues. It's pretty much the
same issue as I've had before but it's never lasted this long. We are now on
48 hours since it started happening.

Basically, my connection is horrifically unreliable at the moment. I only
seem to be able to get 30 minutes connectivity at a time before the
connection just dies, or the router loses sync with the exchange, or both.
My line noise margin is horrific - even when the connection is 'working' its
only on 7-7.5db. I've noticed the margin begins to drop after I've been
connected until it eventually stops working when it reaches 6.5db and below.
It's frequently as low as 4db and was even -7.5db one point last night.

Somewhat oddly, if I turn the router off, let it wait for 5 minutes and then
turn it back on, it connects and has a noise margin of 7db again. This gives
me another few minutes of internet before it dies once more. I don't know if
this is sheer co-incidence or not but I dont think it is. Every time I power
off the router and leave it for a bit, when it comes back on I've got 7db of
noise margin which is - just- enough. Then it drops off constantly until it
dies @ 6.5db.

I've tried lots - I have nothing at all plugged into the phone system, and
the router itself is directly connected to the master socket - I've even
taken the faceplate off and plugged it into the phone line directly. I've
changed the filter, as well.

I've reported it to my ISP who say they are going 'run tests' that will
'take 48 hours or so' then submit it to BT who will 'run more tests, could
take 72 hours' so we are looking at 5-7 days before I hear anything back on
that front. 5-7 days without reliable Internet access is, like, hell

Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com wireless
ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a worthy idea but I
don't exactly have a stack of spare routers kicking around unfortunately

I'm with Plusnet, if it makes any difference.

Here is the readout from the router as I type this:

Operation Data
Operation Data Upstream Downstream
Noise Margin 19 dB 5 dB
Output Power 12 dBm 14.5 dBm
Attenuation 31.5 dB 63 dB


As you can see, it's 5db, so I'm having to type this in offline mode ready
to hit Submit if I ever get a connection back Like I said I've had this
problem a few times but it normally goes away after 24 hours and is fine for
a few months - plugging into the master socket helped loads.

Some people have suggested its the router. If I could get a cast iron
guarantee it is then I'd buy another but I'm loathe to throw £70 at new
router only to find it was the phone line, just as I'm loathe to pay BT £54
after they check the phone line and say its the router

Thanks.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Michael Rodgers <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I have once again got serious ADSL connectivity issues. It's pretty
> much the same issue as I've had before but it's never lasted this
> long. We are now on 48 hours since it started happening.
>
> Basically, my connection is horrifically unreliable at the moment. I
> only seem to be able to get 30 minutes connectivity at a time before
> the connection just dies, or the router loses sync with the exchange,
> or both. My line noise margin is horrific - even when the connection
> is 'working' its only on 7-7.5db. I've noticed the margin begins to
> drop after I've been connected until it eventually stops working when
> it reaches 6.5db and below. It's frequently as low as 4db and was
> even -7.5db one point last night.
>
> Somewhat oddly, if I turn the router off, let it wait for 5 minutes
> and then turn it back on, it connects and has a noise margin of 7db
> again. This gives me another few minutes of internet before it dies
> once more. I don't know if this is sheer co-incidence or not but I
> dont think it is. Every time I power off the router and leave it for
> a bit, when it comes back on I've got 7db of noise margin which is -
> just- enough. Then it drops off constantly until it dies @ 6.5db.
>
> I've tried lots - I have nothing at all plugged into the phone
> system, and the router itself is directly connected to the master
> socket - I've even taken the faceplate off and plugged it into the
> phone line directly. I've changed the filter, as well.
>
> I've reported it to my ISP who say they are going 'run tests' that
> will 'take 48 hours or so' then submit it to BT who will 'run more
> tests, could take 72 hours' so we are looking at 5-7 days before I
> hear anything back on that front. 5-7 days without reliable Internet
> access is, like, hell
>
> Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com
> wireless ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a
> worthy idea but I don't exactly have a stack of spare routers kicking
> around unfortunately
>
> I'm with Plusnet, if it makes any difference.
>
> Here is the readout from the router as I type this:
>
> Operation Data
> Operation Data Upstream Downstream
> Noise Margin 19 dB 5 dB
> Output Power 12 dBm 14.5 dBm
> Attenuation 31.5 dB 63 dB
>
>
> As you can see, it's 5db, so I'm having to type this in offline mode
> ready to hit Submit if I ever get a connection back Like I said
> I've had this problem a few times but it normally goes away after 24
> hours and is fine for a few months - plugging into the master socket
> helped loads.
>
> Some people have suggested its the router. If I could get a cast iron
> guarantee it is then I'd buy another but I'm loathe to throw £70 at
> new router only to find it was the phone line, just as I'm loathe to
> pay BT £54 after they check the phone line and say its the router
>
> Thanks.

This is the second thread about problems with this type of router *today*.

[The other one is entitled "Connecting speed trouble HELP" - see my reply to
that]

Briefly, if your problem is like mine, it's down to noise injected by 3Com's
crap switch-mode power supply when it gets a bit warm. Power the router from
a regulated transformer/rectifier supply of sufficient capacity, and it will
be fine.
--
Cheers,
Tim
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

Michael Rodgers wrote:
> Hi all,
> Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com
> wireless ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a
> worthy idea but I don't exactly have a stack of spare routers kicking
> around unfortunately

If you had been monitoring this group over the last couple of weeks.
There have been a few others posting similar problems & that it lies
firmly at the feet of their 3Com routers, so I would recomend that you
beg, steal or borrow a friends router/modem & check it out ...

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 17:57:44 +0100, "Michael Rodgers"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I've tried lots - I have nothing at all plugged into the phone system, and
>the router itself is directly connected to the master socket - I've even
>taken the faceplate off and plugged it into the phone line directly. I've
>changed the filter, as well.

what are the stats like with it in the test socket with the faceplate
off ? any better margin ?

>Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com wireless
>ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a worthy idea but I
>don't exactly have a stack of spare routers kicking around unfortunately

A guy in Scotland was wrestling with a long line using a 3com - no
connectivity at all - and when he went and got a cheapie zoom x3 it
connected first time and stuck to it.

A BT ADSL engineer will have his own modem if the ISP send one out, or
you could buy one on Ebay for <£20 or borrow one ?

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

"Kraftee" (E-Mail Removed)amming please we're bristish.com
wrote in message
news:433c3f1b$0$49797$(E-Mail Removed)
>
> If you had been monitoring this group over the last couple of weeks.
> There have been a few others posting similar problems & that it lies
> firmly at the feet of their 3Com routers, so I would recomend that you
> beg, steal or borrow a friends router/modem & check it out ...

I have the same router as the OP and regularily suffer similar problems
(although not for 48 hours straight - usually for an hour or two most
nights)

When I swap the 3Com for my Zyxel, the symptoms persist...

Michael's problems /may/ be due to a new/stronger noise source somewhere
along that 6km. Not much you can do about that I guess

"Phil Thompson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>I've tried lots - I have nothing at all plugged into the phone system, and
>>the router itself is directly connected to the master socket - I've even
>>taken the faceplate off and plugged it into the phone line directly. I've
>>changed the filter, as well.
>
> what are the stats like with it in the test socket with the faceplate
> off ? any better margin ?

It's been plugged into the test socket for months now after this last
happened and it made things considerably better but now its rubbish again
even with it plugged in.

Upgraded to the latest firmware this evening with mixed results. Noise
margin is now even worse most of the time - 3db at the moment, but the
crucial difference is the internet access actually works with a margin of
3db. Before the upgrade, anything less than 6db = no connectivity.

Just as I typed this it dropped to 1.5db, and this has now resulted in no
connectivity.

To be honest I'd love for it to finally be proved to be this 3com router so
I can ritually smash it to small pieces and buy something decent - I've been
having problems for a year now which I just attributed to my long line
length and 63db attenuation..

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 17:57:44 +0100, Michael Rodgers wrote:

> My line noise margin is horrific - even when the connection is 'working' its
> only on 7-7.5db. I've noticed the margin begins to drop after I've been
> connected until it eventually stops working when it reaches 6.5db and below.
> It's frequently as low as 4db and was even -7.5db one point last night.

Have you done your own line test by calling 17070? Had the same problem
before, did the line test and it seems to clear up the noisy line. Anyway,
if you can hear a crackling sound from your normal phone, then it is best
to call up 150 and complain to BT instead.. did that too and BT engineers
came and replace a bit of outside wire and the inside from the master
socket to the internal junction box and replaced what look like a fuse in
that junction box.

On 29 Sep 2005 20:23, "Kraftee" wrote:

>Michael Rodgers wrote:
>> Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com
>> wireless ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a

>... it lies firmly at the feet of their 3Com routers, so I would recomend ...

I wish all posters would identify the make and model of kit in the subject
line... well spotted - I was reading fairly carefully and still managed
not to spot mention of 3com, but then again, it is a small word, and I
was probably expecting to see it was a problem with a Netgear unit!

Peter M.
--

UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4> - Happy to save cash with Plus.Net!!

Tiscali Tim Wrote:
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Michael Rodgers (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> -
> Hi all,
>
> I have once again got serious ADSL connectivity issues. It's pretty
> much the same issue as I've had before but it's never lasted this
> long. We are now on 48 hours since it started happening.
>
> Basically, my connection is horrifically unreliable at the moment. I
> only seem to be able to get 30 minutes connectivity at a time before
> the connection just dies, or the router loses sync with the exchange,
> or both. My line noise margin is horrific - even when the connection
> is 'working' its only on 7-7.5db. I've noticed the margin begins to
> drop after I've been connected until it eventually stops working when
> it reaches 6.5db and below. It's frequently as low as 4db and was
> even -7.5db one point last night.
>
> Somewhat oddly, if I turn the router off, let it wait for 5 minutes
> and then turn it back on, it connects and has a noise margin of 7db
> again. This gives me another few minutes of internet before it dies
> once more. I don't know if this is sheer co-incidence or not but I
> dont think it is. Every time I power off the router and leave it for
> a bit, when it comes back on I've got 7db of noise margin which is -
> just- enough. Then it drops off constantly until it dies @ 6.5db.
>
> I've tried lots - I have nothing at all plugged into the phone
> system, and the router itself is directly connected to the master
> socket - I've even taken the faceplate off and plugged it into the
> phone line directly. I've changed the filter, as well.
>
> I've reported it to my ISP who say they are going 'run tests' that
> will 'take 48 hours or so' then submit it to BT who will 'run more
> tests, could take 72 hours' so we are looking at 5-7 days before I
> hear anything back on that front. 5-7 days without reliable Internet
> access is, like, hell
>
> Any ideas? I'm nearly 6km from my exchange, and I'm using a 3com
> wireless ADSL router. I know trying it with something else is a
> worthy idea but I don't exactly have a stack of spare routers kicking
> around unfortunately
>
> I'm with Plusnet, if it makes any difference.
>
> Here is the readout from the router as I type this:
>
> Operation Data
> Operation Data Upstream Downstream
> Noise Margin 19 dB 5 dB
> Output Power 12 dBm 14.5 dBm
> Attenuation 31.5 dB 63 dB
>
>
> As you can see, it's 5db, so I'm having to type this in offline mode
> ready to hit Submit if I ever get a connection back Like I said
> I've had this problem a few times but it normally goes away after 24
> hours and is fine for a few months - plugging into the master socket
> helped loads.
>
> Some people have suggested its the router. If I could get a cast iron
> guarantee it is then I'd buy another but I'm loathe to throw £70 at
> new router only to find it was the phone line, just as I'm loathe to
> pay BT £54 after they check the phone line and say its the router
>
> Thanks.-
>
> This is the second thread about problems with this type of route
> *today*.
>
> [The other one is entitled "Connecting speed trouble HELP" - see m
> reply to
> that]
>
> Briefly, if your problem is like mine, it's down to noise injected b
> 3Com's
> crap switch-mode power supply when it gets a bit warm. Power the route
> from
> a regulated transformer/rectifier supply of sufficient capacity, and i
> will
> be fine.
> --
> Cheers,
> Tim
> ______
> Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.
1st post, hope it makes sense.

I purchased a 3Com 3CRWDR100A-72 wireless ADSL router a couple of week
ago to replace my BT Voyager 100 modem which had worked trouble free fo
a couple of years. I was immediately disappointed with the performanc
of the router with regard to Internet speed, frequency of droppe
connections and the length of time taking to sync.

The stats were as follows:

NM up varied from 18 to 22 and down ranged from 1 to 13 (usually 1)
ATT up hovered around the 62 mark and down 34-35.

I was ready to send it back when I found this thread. I knew my line
was OK as I had tried my old modem and the noise and attenuation
figures were much better.

I borrowed a similarly rated power supply from work, purchased a 2.5 to
2.1 DC adapter and switched it on.

Figures are now:

NM up 30 and down 30 (fairly consistent)
ATT up 27 and down 28.

Internet access is flying, no dropped connections and syncs
immediately.

Nothing has changed except the power supply. I will be contacting 3Com
regarding a replacement.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Tim and the rest of you.


--
daveyp123